Tuesday, 10 October 2017

Travel Tuesday: Gifts You Should Bring From Poland

Dearest sweethearts,

A trip to Poland, to Krakow, should be inevitable once in Europe. Poland is the centre of Europe, it's own beating heart, staying strong to its beliefs. It's a country of beauty, wonder and it has magical cities you fall in love with at the first sight. It has many UNESCO world heritage sites and it boasts of a rising number of tourists each year. But now, during today's #traveltuesday I wanted to help you a bit - let you know what might be considered as a good present / good gift to have for the ones home, after you've visited Poland:

Wawel Castle, Krakow, Poland

1. Amber from the Baltic Sea - Poland is renowned for the beautifully clear Amber from the Baltic Sea and has a long tradition of exporting it as well, by sea, to other cities (like Warsaw and Krakow) but also abroad (reaching even to Rome). The price of Amber is extremely good in Poland and you can find anything - from earrings, bracelets, necklaces to magnets for your fridge, made out of it. It's a must #madeinpoland - make a lovely gift to someone you love.2. Wooden handcrafted objects - from treasury chests to chess boards. The best place to buy them, in Krakow, is from the Sukiennice (The Cloth Hall) in the Main Market Square. It's gonna be hard to miss seeing them, even if it's always crowded out there! The colora and the shapes and sizes can get you hypnotized... try not to leave all your money in one place ;) there are plenty things to see / buy!

Wedding wodka - calculate at least 1 litre per person

3. Alcohol - be it pure, crystal clear, wodka or the local delicacies like "Nalewka Babuni". You can also find here local gems like beer with cherries, beer with plums and beer with honey... that one is sweet as Hell and leaves me with an immense headache.4. Polish marinated cucumbers - pickled gerkins - a cure for the almighty hangover that you will have, after you try out all the wodka.

5. Smalec - lard, to be smeared on fresh bread and eaten before the heavy drinking starts. It acts like a "tampon" layer due to the amount of fat in it, and it's a life saviour!6. Pierniki (gingerbread) from Torun - don't worry, you don't actually need to physically get to Torun, every large supermarket sells them. Just make sure they are #madeinpoland #madeintorun - check the label carefully ;) they are yummy - fresh they are even yummier, if you manage to get there.

7. The notorious John Lemon Lemonade - made in Poland, the John Lemon trademark was registered by the Polish manufacturers of the lemonade back in 2014. The John Lennon trademark application was filed in 2016. Hey... But you can't stop Ono from making "a honest buck" on John's back, can't you?! :/ anyway, if you manage to grab a John Lemon bottle before they change the name, make sure you do! I love it!

8. Oscypek - traditional highlander / mountain cheese, be it in oval shape or in strings, it's delicious! Especially during winter months, on the grill, with some "zurawina" (red cranberry) sauce. Mmmmmm... heavenly! At the Christmas Markets you can also find a version with dried plum & bacon - do try it!

9. For newly mums: Madame GooGoo Baby Carriers - custom made, #madeinpoland with great love and care, by a mother who was so fond of her children that she wanted to do an ergonomic design yet one of a kind. You want a baby carrier shaped like a unicorn, a Ladybug, an owl, a dragon... they did it before and they fulfil wild dreams! They also ship internationally ;)10. A trip back to Poland - let's face it! If you ever managed to get to Poland you will want to come back again and again and again. The best present for yourself or for the ones you love, is to come again to Poland and witness more of its wonders. Take a sabbatical and come to Poland! Poland will always welcome you with open arms - filled with pierogi and history ;)